Autumn is deer hunting season, and if you’re a hunter, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind to stay safe in the field and when you get home with your catch.
As hunting season starts, Beth Czerwony, RD, a registered dietitian who loves venison, tells you what you need to know about cleaning your kill, storing it safely so you can eat it, and more.
Take care of your health in the field.
Preparing venison is the same as preparing any other kind of meat, except that since most people hunt it themselves, they have to do a lot of the work in the field.
“It’s important to know how to process that deer as quickly, safely, and efficiently as possible,” says Czerwony.
Here are the things you need to remember in the field to make sure you bring home the best meat.
Hunt healthy deer
If a deer is sick, its meat will be sick, so keep a close eye on the animals you hunt to make sure they look safe and healthy. Overall, don’t bring home a kill that looks sick, diseased, or suspicious in some other way.
A disease that never goes away
The chronic wasting disease is the version of mad cow disease that affects deer. If a deer looks dazed, confused, or thin, this could be a sign that it has the disease.
“The disease affects the brain and the central nervous system, so these deer are often very thin and stumbling,” says Czerwony. “Their meat is dirty and should not be eaten.”
COVID-19
White-tailed deer can get coronavirus, but it’s unlikely that they’ll spread it to people. The United States Department of Agriculture says, “From what we know, there is a low chance that animals will spread the virus to people.”
Still, as a safety measure, hunters should stay away from the lungs of dead deer.
Injuries
Check your deer’s skin for problems like sores or bumps that haven’t healed. When bucks fight, they sometimes hurt each other with their antlers. These wounds can spread to the spinal column and make the meat unsafe to eat.
Avoid cross-contamination
Nature is beautiful, but it has bacteria all over it. It’s important to know how to keep the meat as clean as possible when you’re hunting in the middle of the woods and preparing it to eat later right there on the forest floor.
“All deer hunters need to know how to get a deer properly so they don’t get sick,” says Czerwony.
Use a good knife.
A dull knife can spread germs through the meat and makes it more likely that the organs will get cut. Bring a clean, sharp knife with you to the field to make cuts, and use wipes to clean it as you work.
Stay away from the organs
Just like in people, your deer’s organs are full of gross stuff that you don’t want to mess with.
“When you’re processing the deer in the field, you don’t want to cut its intestines, bladder, or stomach, which are full of waste,” says Czerwony. “You don’t want any of that garbage to end up on the meat.”
Don’t bring the bad stuff with you.
Once you’ve taken out the organs listed above, don’t bring them with you, or you could spread bacteria and other germs. Just let nature take its course and leave them in the field. The circle of life, eh?
Use a tarp to move things.
Bring a clean tarp with you into the field, and use it to get the deer back to your car. Keep the deer on the tarp while you drive it home as well so that it doesn’t pick up any more bacteria.
Clean your surfaces
When you get home to process your deer, work in a clean, disinfected area, like your kitchen, garage, basement, or somewhere else. “Any bacteria that was there before can get on the meat,” says Czerwony. Then use bleach to clean up.
Process and store your venison the right way.
“It’s very important for hunters to know how to store deer meat the right way,” says Czerwony. “That includes right after you shoot it, when you process it, and when you package and store it.”
- Hang your deer. One of the most important steps in preparing deer meat is to let it hang upside down for at least a night. This helps move the blood around in the tissue, which keeps the meat fresh.
- Keep your cool. “The worst thing that can happen to a hunter is to catch a deer on a hot day,” says Czerwony. “You should really let that meat cool down so it doesn’t make more bacteria.” Keep your deer out of the sun as much as possible and as cool as you can.
- Work quickly. You’re working with big pieces of meat and are racing against the clock to get your venison into the fridge or freezer. Take your time and be careful, but try to get the job done quickly.
- Freeze it: “The best thing to do is vacuum-seal it and put it in a deep freezer,” says the expert. Czerwony says. “Frozen venison can stay good for up to a year, so make sure to label and date it when you prepare it.”
Enjoying your venison
There are many health benefits of venison. First of all, it’s one of the healthiest meats for your heart because it’s low in fat, high in protein, and full of zinc, haem iron, and vitamin B.
It also saves money. Czerwony says, “If you get two deer a year, you have enough food for the whole year.”
How to cook deer meat.
“Venison is so versatile that you can use it for any kind of protein, including burgers and steaks,” says Czerwony. “You can use ground venison for anything you would use ground beef for.”
- On its own, you can: Because venison has so little fat, it gets very tough when it’s cooked too long. Tender cuts like medallions and tenderloins can be enjoyed at medium-rare (135°F).
- Some people like to mix venison with pork or another source of fat. “But make sure that any meat that is mixed with pork is cooked to 165°F,” says Czerwony.
- Find the recipe you like best: Venison is great in burgers with a lot of meat and in chili. You can also make your own bone broth with the bones.
What can happen if you eat bad deer meat
“If you don’t cook and store your deer meat right, you could get food poisoning or another illness that comes from food,” says Czerwony.
So how can you tell if it’s bad? Watch out for the following:
- Fresh venison is a dark, brownish-red color, but venison that has gone bad is usually greenish in color.
- Texture: Good venison should be firm and tough, with a smooth, slick feel. If the deer meat looks loose or has started to fall apart, it has already started to go bad.
- Smell: Good venison smells like the fresh game, while bad venison can smell rancid or even like sewage.
Hunters, go to school first!
There are a lot of things to learn about hunting. If you’ve never done it before, it’s best to ask an expert how to do the prep work the right and safest way.
“A hunter safety course is a good idea for new hunters,” says Czerwony. “The whole point of hunting is to be able to eat the meat you catch, so you really need to know how to do that right.”